Oil Sands Discovery Centre

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Oil Sands Discovery Centre Sharing the Oil Sands Experience The Oil Sands Discovery Centre opened in 1985 as the Fort McMurray Oil Sands Interpretive Centre.

For more than 35 years, the Centre has presented the history, science, and technology of Alberta's Oil Sands while offering a broad range of science programming through special events, summer camps, and school field trips. The Oil Sands Discovery Centre is part of a network of provincially owned and operated historic sites, interpretive centres, and museums.

That’s a wrap on the Culture Days weekend! Thanks to everyone who came out.
09/28/2026

That’s a wrap on the Culture Days weekend! Thanks to everyone who came out.

Culture Days is right around the corner at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre! Join us on September 26 and 27 and learn abou...
09/24/2026

Culture Days is right around the corner at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre!

Join us on September 26 and 27 and learn about floating and sinking, create a density bottle, and more!

Admission is free and there will be fun activities happening on both Saturday and Sunday.

Pipelines are the major method of transporting oil from the oil sands. They can be up to 120cm (48 inches) in diameter a...
09/22/2026

Pipelines are the major method of transporting oil from the oil sands. They can be up to 120cm (48 inches) in diameter and the oil moves at about 5km/hour through the pipeline.

In the Fort McMurray area, there are several pipelines including the Suncor Oil Sands Pipeline, Enbridge Pipeline, Syncrude Alberta Oil Sands Pipeline, Corridor Pipeline, and Horizon Pipeline. These travel to Edmonton, Hardisty, and Fort Saskatchewan before connecting to other oil pipelines or refineries.

How much oil is in the oil sands? There is approximately 1.7-2.5 trillion barrels of bitumen in the Alberta oil sands. A...
09/18/2026

How much oil is in the oil sands?

There is approximately 1.7-2.5 trillion barrels of bitumen in the Alberta oil sands. About 165 billion barrels of that can be recovered with today’s extraction methods.

Most of the oil is buried too deep to be mined but currently mining and in situ produce similar amounts of bitumen.

Come and celebrate Culture Days at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre! On September 26 and 27, admission is free and there w...
09/14/2026

Come and celebrate Culture Days at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre! On September 26 and 27, admission is free and there will be fun activities happening on both Saturday and Sunday.

Learn about floating and sinking, create a density bottle, and more!

Our hours are changing! Now that summer is over, we will be open Tuesdays-Sundays from 10 am - 5 pm.Come and learn more ...
09/10/2026

Our hours are changing! Now that summer is over, we will be open Tuesdays-Sundays from 10 am - 5 pm.

Come and learn more about the oil sands by exploring the Exhibit Hall, watching a film, or taking part in our oil sands extraction demonstrations!

It’s always neat to see what visitors have learned about at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre. From how bitumen is upgraded...
09/08/2026

It’s always neat to see what visitors have learned about at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre. From how bitumen is upgraded to how big a haul truck is, there are lots of things to discover!

What did you learn during your last visit here?

We are open on Labour Day! If you are looking for something to do before the summer officially ends, come and visit the ...
09/04/2026

We are open on Labour Day! If you are looking for something to do before the summer officially ends, come and visit the Discovery Centre. We’re open from 10 am - 5 pm.

Once oil sand goes through the separation process, the oil still has water and clays mixed into it. This is called bitum...
09/02/2026

Once oil sand goes through the separation process, the oil still has water and clays mixed into it. This is called bitumen froth.

The bitumen froth is diluted with naphtha and is then sent through inclined plate settlers and centrifuges. This removes the extra materials that would cause issues during the upgrading or transportation process.

Address

515 MacKenzie Boulevard
Fort McMurray, AB
T9H4X3

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+17807437167

Website

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